The Devil's Temptation!

218 Seeing Adryan (2)

An unbeatable silence followed when Anna was done mentioning her name. She heard nothing else, not even a ‘come in’ from him, and she was genuinely concerned if he had done something to himself or not. After waiting for a minute and slowly giving up, Anna finally heard his voice.

“Come in.”

At his permission, Anna opened the door and walked in. She stepped into his room, quietly closing the door behind her like someone who was being extremely cautious not to make a noise. But as Anna ventured in further, she noticed the pieces of broken glass laying on the ground, leaving her forehead to crease worriedly at the sight.

What if someone accidentally steps on these broken shards? There were basically all over the place, and Anna could easily tell Adryan had started throwing things in a fit of rage again. Carefully walking past them, she headed for the mattress where Adryan was sitting on.

He was sitting up on his mattress, leaning his back against the headboard and for a split second, Anna found him unrecognizable due to his current state. At this point, he was looking haggard, his brown hair was a total mess on his head, his eyes had turned red-rimmed from crying to himself all day, and his bandaged leg was stretched forward against the mattress.

When Anna came into full view, the corner of Adryan’s eyes crinkled in half-disbelief, but when she moved closer and he saw her face more clearly, his crinkled eyes widened tremendously at the sight of her. When he heard her voice, he thought he was daydreaming as usual, he thought her ghost was here to haunt him, but seeing her stand in front of him erased all of that.

She looked different from the Anna he knew, she was glowing and appeared more youthful, she was dressed in an elegant off-shoulder raven-black gown with puffed long sleeves, putting on the matching cloak and her unusual black-brown hair was stylishly tied in a ponytail, making her appear decent and attractively beautiful.

The mark he usually see’s on her head were gone, and she looked nothing like the lady from a low-status anymore. She looked more like a gothic Queen due to the dress she was wearing, adding to the mystery revolving around her.

At the commendable transformation in front of him, a lone tear descended from his red-rimmed eyes, rolling down to his cheeks, and he shamefully lowered his gaze, feeling extremely foolish with himself that he felt like hitting himself all day.

.....

Anna fell speechless the moment he broke down in front of her, and she nearly asked what the matter was, but managed to seal her lips on time. He looked nothing like the Adryan she once knew, he appeared helpless in front of her, and Anna couldn’t help but pity him. Regardless, she chose not to reveal it and kept her demeanor firm, unwilling to show any sympathy towards him.

“You’re alive.” He articulated breathlessly, still finding it unbelievable, cause he saw her state before his guards had taken him away. The arrow had aimed straight for her heart, so how is it possible she survived it? He was happy she did but he was still wondering how the magic happened.

Anna said nothing in response, the look in her brown irises made him realize that he wasn’t in a state to even talk to her, but regardless of how guilty he felt, he continued, “are you here to kill me for what I did to you?”

He asked, because he saw no better reason for her to come into his room without having this intention in mind. He knew what he did to her, so it’s neutral for him to expect his death in her hands.

As though responding to his words, Anna moved forward to pick the knife that was resting on his side table. Adryan’s gaze didn’t miss her action, neither did he react, he didn’t have the strength to, and he wasn’t going to plead or stop her from doing what her mind intends to do to him.

“What makes you think a man like yourself deserves to die in my hands?” She quizzed, holding the knife by the hilt and keeping her piercing gaze on Adryan who still hasn’t refused to meet her gaze. He felt he had no right to look at her, he didn’t deserve it and he understood her hatred towards him, which is why he was willing to accept any form of punishment from her.

“Do as you wish Anna, I won’t stop you.” He gave her the go-ahead, closing his eyes and waiting for the occurrence that would fall on him. Anna’s hold against the hilt tightened, and she moved to stab Adryan with the knife in a quick skillful move.

STAB!!

Adryan’s eyes tightly sealed shut as a shaky gasp escaped him. He was expecting the searing pain that came along with the stab, but he felt nothing to his quick surprise, leading his eyes to open and instead of him being stabbed, Anna had stabbed the headboard instead, just close to the side of his head and she left the knife there.

He met her emotionless gaze, a bit stunned she didn’t kill him, and Anna uttered in a dry tone.

“I’m not here to kill you, that’s the major difference between us.” She told him before permitting herself to sit beside his bed. Adryan didn’t think he had felt more terrible in his life as he did today. His lashes were wet from the tears trying to escape his eyes, and he still didn’t look at Anna.

“I’m sorry.” That was all he could say, he felt so terrible like a thousand ants were biting the guilt out of his heart.

“How’s your leg?” She asked, ignoring his words of apology. Adryan’s gaze landed on his leg and he let out a sigh when the wound still ached, he had dislocated his knee-bone when his leg got stuck to the ground, and he’s been having nightmares of that day ever since, he even see’s the stranger responsible in his room most times, which explains the broken glasses cause he kept throwing things at the shadowy figure.

“I don’t know.”

Looking at his leg, it was fully bandaged from his knee to the sole of his feet, but Anna couldn’t tell if he was healing or not.

“Can you move it?”

He shook his head, “it’s still badly damaged.” He told her, “the physician said something like I might not be able to walk again, but it all depends on how well my leg responds to treatment.” He explained and even tried to move his leg for Anna to see, but he gave up before he tried properly.

“You will walk,” Anna assured him with a straight face, “but my words won’t help if you don’t help yourself first, you lack nutrients, and you’ve been in bed for heaven knows how long. Calista told me everything, and if you think avoiding everyone will make you feel better, then you’re only hurting yourself.”

She looked at the untouched meal on his side table before returning her gaze back to him, “remember how Calista and I always told you how good of a king you’d be when you grow up,” Anna said to him, “you broke your arm once while trying to learn how to ride a horse, and that Adryan still got up despite the torture and pain it brought. He feared nothing and always did the best he could to remain strong, and he was his father’s pride.”

She looked at him, sizing him up with her indifferent stare, ” that was the Adryan I knew, you’re not Adryan, what happened to the real Adryan?” She asked, “I’m not here as a stranger if that’s what you’re thinking, but as your childhood friend, the one whom you normally sneak out with late at night to play games with, that is the person sitting in front of you, so talk to me.”

Slowly, he raised his head up to look at Anna, and he saw no hatred in her twinkling eyes, indeed, she was staring at him the same way she always looked at him when they were younger, and it only summoned more tears down his eyes, leaving his eyes to shimmer in reaction.

“When I left Euphrasia..” he began with his eyes closed, “the place father took me to, I was still younger when I was told to join the military by the man who ruled that kingdom, and since father had this rule of putting discipline in the heir to his throne, I had to leave, and I got influenced negatively.”

“I know I hurt you deeply Anna, you were waiting for me to come save you, but I was aware of everything Arlow did to you, I knew he framed you up from the start but I was blinded by ego and the major difference between us.” His voice grew tight, and Anna turned away from him, swallowing the lump in her throat to keep herself from tearing up as well.

“I let the rumors get to my head, they called you cursed and I believed it, they said you’d bring bad luck if I ever got married to you and I believed it, they called you inhuman and I–” he stopped, smacking his forehead at his own stupidity.

“It took me a while to realize the biggest mistake I made, Anna, and it was letting you go and betraying your trust from the very beginning.” He looked at her, but Anna had turned her face away, trying to still maintain her demeanor and keeping herself composed.

“No amount of apology can make you forgive me, I know, but I’m grateful you came to see me Anna, despite the fact I nearly took your life with my own hands.”

He sounded genuinely sorry, and he looked emotionally traumatized. Anna felt glad Calista hadn’t seen him yet, else she’d be even more dispirited by all of this.

“If you don’t mind, can I ask you something?” Adryan raised a question, and Anna remained mute for a while. She finally looked at him, her face void of all emotions.

“What is it?”

“How did you end up in the Demon’s den?”